Voters head to polls today in five Orange cities

Voters in five Orange County municipalities will hit the polls today to fill council seats and decide whether to tweak governing charters.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Winter Park, Windermere, Winter Garden, Belle Isle and Edgewood.

To find your polling place, go to ocfelections.com.

The races are headlined by a contest to fill Seat 1 on Winter Park’s City Commission, which has grown contentious in recent days. Incumbent Greg Seidel, a civil engineer, faces retired U.S. Navy Capt. Wes Naylor for a three-year term.

Naylor’s campaign has accused Seidel of trying to raise the property tax rate, after the incumbent sent mailers stating he never voted to raise taxes. Seidel denied the claim to the Orlando Sentinel last week, stating he proposed the increase just to see what residents wanted elected officials to do.

Saturday, Naylor’s campaign said Seidel was trying to “run from his record,” in a Facebook post.

Winter Park voters will also decide whether the city should abolish primaries in favor of runoff elections. The run-off would be held in April if a candidate doesn’t receive the majority of votes.

Winter Garden voters in City Commission District 1 must decide among incumbent Kent Makin and three women making their first bid for elected office. If no candidate gets more than half the votes, the two with the most face off in a runoff April 14.

Windermere voters will be asked to fill three council slots and to decide charter issues. The charter review committee drafted an easier-to-read version, trimming the town’s document from 50 to 20 pages by cutting out legalese and eliminating unnecessary clauses.